The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2014, and October 31, 2015 (see FAQ for exceptions), are automatically nominated for the 2015 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on October 15, 2015, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

Wild animals are increasingly sharing human urban and suburban spaces around the world.

Using the examples of black bears, raccoons, mountain lions, coyotes, turtles and alligators in this country, crows in Japan and flying foxes in Australia, along with plentiful photographs, this title introduces some surprising wildlife neighbors. Downer, the author of Elephant Talk (2011), clearly explains how these animals have come into our backyards. Often, it’s because we came into theirs. Sometimes, it’s because we’ve provided easy food pickings and appealing places to live. Informational sidebars give additional facts about each species, explain some ways they’ve adapted to a human world, and make further connections between the animals (and their problems) and our own lives. An early double-page aerial photograph of New York City serves as a background for identifying the parts of a city ecosystem that attract wildlife, and a world map toward the end shows the locations of other urban wildlife problems. An epilogue suggests measures humans can take to help our species coexist with theirs. The busy, colorful design sometimes makes it difficult to follow the narrative thread, but the effort is worthwhile. Ample documentation and further resource suggestions will help readers wanting to know more.

An unusual issue set forth clearly and concisely for middle school and high school readers. (index) (Nonfiction. 10-15)

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